I can see where your coming from Mazer.
What I've picked out is.
"You see, we're not really talking about freedom of speech here, we're talking about actions and consequences"
"The 1st Amendment does exactly what it says, preventing congress from making laws that abridge our freedom of speech. Consequence is not abridgment so the Constitution doesn't protect us from the consequences of our words and it shouldn't"
I suppose it's the consequences that happen to restrict your free speech.To me that's the same.This price to pay thing.
I fully understand there has to be limits.
Now sinner said this
"But when it comes to criticizing government and government officials,free and open discussion should be allowed without fear of retribution"
And he says
"Yes I do. Cindy Sheehan, Mike Moore, John Stewart, Al Franken, Bill Maher, etc etc etc
Have not all these people been personally attacked.
Not the issue they have raised?
Are they not tarred with a brush as being "far left nut jobs"?
This happens the other way round as well of course.
Neo cons comes to mind.
Shoot the messenger sort of thing is what I find so wrong in a so called free society.It happens here in the UK as well.
"Theoretically the federal government has the ability, under the 16th Amendment of the Constitution, to tax up to 100% of our income"
I'm a bit puzzled about this one.
It stands to reason I'm not a student of the constitution,but I watched this a while ago and wondered about this tax thing.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...arch&plindex=0
Now,as to
"ignoring what sinner and albed have written for a moment"
Sinner I don't mind at all,sometimes he say daft things.but mostly he answers from his point of view without the silly name calling.
For example
Daft thing to say.
"Don’t care about international law"
Answers from his point of view
"the USA is far far from becoming a Fascist State"
What I said was they're "going down the road to a fascist state"
Albed can sometimes can say some sensible thing,I have even agreed with him on a couple of occasions(I know shame on me)But the silly chat is like listening to a child in a school yard.So to tell me to become a man is so silly.
But now I know he's a brain surgeon I'll see him differently.
"I can reorganize those damaged brain cells"
Do you get medals for doing that as well?